The Connecticut Office of the Arts is excited to announce its FY20 Connecticut Arts Endowment and Artist Fellowship recipients.

We thank you for your interest in our programs and send our best wishes for success!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shapiro, Director of Arts, Preservation & Museums
& the Connecticut Office of the Arts staff:
Tamara Dimitri
Bonnie Koba
Rhonda F. Olisky
Lourdes "Lu" Rivera
Jane Schneider
The Artist Fellowship Program provides competitive grants to encourage the continuing development of Connecticut artists. These grants provide support for artists to pursue new work and achieve specific creative and career goals.
There are three types of grant designations awarded under this program based on reviewer assessment.
Artistic Excellence grants: $5,000
Artist Fellowship grants: $3,000
Emerging Recognition grants: $1,000

Awarded: Fifty-one (51) Fellowships totaling $149,000. 
The Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund (CAEF) was established by the Connecticut State Legislature to stimulate the development of private sector funding resources and to ensure the long-term stability of Connecticut’s arts industry by providing funding to organizations. The Fund is managed by the Office of the State Treasurer and the program is administered by the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA). Interest earned on the Fund's principal is distributed annually to eligible arts organizations.  
Applicants do not specify a grant request amount. Grant awards are calculated on a formula which compares the amount of private sector (non-governmental) contributions received by the applicant in its two (2) most recently completed fiscal years. 

Awarded: One-hundred forty-seven (147) grants totaling $803,442. 
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is seeking host organizations for its Arts Workforce Initiative (AWI) . AWI is a paid apprenticeship program that provides Connecticut college students, emerging creatives and military veterans an opportunity to gain high-level professional work experience with non-profit arts and cultural organizations throughout the state.

A host organization must provide a hands-on and engaging learning opportunity that allows an individual to gain relevant skills and work experience in the arts.

Selected host organizations will be granted $3,750 per apprentice to be used to pay an hourly rate of $15. Selected participants work 25 hours a week for 10 weeks for the selected host organization. Participants receive payment from the host organization where their apprenticeship will take place.

To be eligible as an AWI host organization, an organization must submit an Intent to Apply and must be:
  • a not-for-profit Connecticut arts/cultural organization;
  • able to provide an professional opportunity within the following categories:  arts administration, arts presenting/curating, media arts, performing arts, visual arts, arts education and literary arts;
  • able to provide a hands-on and engaging learning opportunity that allows an individual to gain relevant skills and work experience;
  • in alignment with and display an understanding of COA's READI framework;
  • able to accommodate an apprentice(s) between June 1, 2020 - September 30, 2020; 
  • committed to ensuring that the apprentice(s) complete(s) the required 250 hours;
  • able to provide a dedicated work space; and
  • able to pay an individual as a contractor.  

Deadline to submit an Intent to Apply is Friday, February 28, 2020.

General Information for Host Organizations: WATCH NOW
Dos & Don'ts for Host Organizations & Supervisors: WATCH NOW
The Connecticut Office of the Arts is funded by the State of Connecticut and the  National Endowment for the Arts .